Manually operable gearshift mechanism

ABSTRACT

An improved manually operable gearshift mechanism includes a support of sheet metal construction and a gearshift selector mounted on the support by a ball and socket arrangement for pivotal movement about first and second orthogonal axes. The gearshift selector is pivotal to a plurality of positions relative to the support to position a pair of gearshifting cables in positions corresponding to selectable transmission gears. The positioning of one of the gearshifting cables is achieved by a bellcrank pivotally mounted on the support and displaceable by a pin extending from the ball and displaceable about the second axis with the gearshift selector. Positioning of the other gearshifting cable is achieved by a link forming an extension of the gearshift selector below the first and second axes and which link is pivotal with the gearshift selector about the first axis. The link is pivotally interconnected with the gearshift selector so that the cable attached to the link is maintained substantially against lateral displacement during pivotal movement of the gearshift selector about the second axis.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the art of gearshifting mechanisms and, moreparticularly, to improvements in manually operable gearshift mechanismsfor shifting gears in a vehicle transmission.

It is well known that vehicle transmissions provide a plurality ofselectable gear combinations, and it is likewise known that certaintransmissions provide for the gears to be shifted from one combinationto another through appropriate positioning of a pair of gearshiftoperators associated with the transmission and which are displaceablerelative to one another and to the transmission housing by generallylineally displaceable gearshift actuators such as cables. The actuatingcables are lineally displaced through the vehicle operator'smanipulation of a manual gearshift mechanism in the vehicle and whichmechanism includes a pivotal gear selector member having a plurality ofpositions corresponding to available gear combinations in thetransmission. Pivotal displacement of the gear selector relative to asupport therefor is translated to linear displacements of the cablesand, in connection with the operation of an automobile for example, thegear combinations achieved through such positioning include a neutralgear, a reverse gear, and a plurality of forward drive gear ratios.

Manually operable gearshift mechanisms heretofore provided for achievingsuch transmission gear changes, while effective for the intendedgearshifting purposes, are structurally complex and thus bothexcessively heavy and undesirably expensive to produce. Moreparticularly in this respect, prior constructions have required the useof an excessive number of interengaging component parts, many of whichrequire close tolerances and finished surfaces, thus involving timeconsuming and expensive machining operations and assembly operations.Moreover, such constructions are undesirably heavy as a result of thenumber of component parts and the size and weight thereof and,additionally, are undesirably large with respect to the outsidedimensions thereof. Furthermore, structurally complex arrangements fortranslating motion within the gearshift mechanisms and for providinglockout arrangements with respect to unintentional shifting of thetransmission into reverse gear, have added to the cost and weight of themechanisms while, at the same time, taking away from the efficiency andstability of the mechanism with respect to the operation thereof.

Still further, the multiple position shifting of the gearshift selectorin connection with the relative positioning of a pair of transmissiongear actuators has heretofore required the lateral displacement withinthe support of one of the gear actuators relative to a linear path ofreciprocating displacement therefor. Such lateral displacement isfollowed by longitudinal displacement of the actuator and, thus, bendingthereof at the point where the actuator passes through the supporttoward the vehicle transmission. This bending of the actuator duringlongitudinal displacement thereof is undesirable in that it promoteswear of the actuator and the portion of the support slidablyinterengaged thereby. More importantly, from the standpoint of thevehicle operator, is the fact that such bending necessitates the use ofvarying degrees of force to displace the actuator depending on theextent of lateral displacement of the latter from its linear path. This,of course, is reflected in the "feel" of the shifting operation to thevehicle operator and results in a different feel for the variousgearshifting movements of the gearshift selector.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, the foregoing and otherdisadvantages of manually operable gearshift mechanisms heretoforeprovided are minimized or overcome by a construction comprised of fewercomponent parts than heretofore necessary and a structuralinterrelationship between component parts enabling a more economicalproduction and assembly. At the same time, a construction according tothe present invention provides a desired structural integrity for themechanism, and a lightweight structurally compact unit with improvedefficiency in operation.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the foregoing attributesare achieved by an improved structural arrangement for supporting agearshift selector component and displacing gearshift actuators such ascables thereby. More particularly in this respect, the gearshiftselector component is supported by a ball and socket arrangement whichprovides for the gearshift selector to be pivotal about first and secondorthogonal axes. The gearshift selector includes a pin parallel to andpreferably coaxial with the first axis and operable to pivot a bellcranklever in response to pivotal movement of the gearshift selector aboutthe second axis, thus to reciprocate one of the gearshift actuatorsattached to the bellcrank. In accordance with another aspect of theinvention, the gearshift selector is interconnected with the secondgearshift actuator such that pivotal displacement of the gearshiftselector about the second axis minimizes lateral displacement of thesecond gearshift actuator relative to its linear path of reciprocation.This advantageously enables longitudinal displacement of the gearshiftactuator without the bending thereof heretofore encountered and, thus, auniform "feel" to the vehicle operator and shifting with less effortthan that required with bending movement of the gearshift actuator.

It is accordingly an outstanding object of the present invention toprovide improvements in connection with manually operable gearshiftmechanisms for use with transmissions having a plurality of gearselections achieved through the relative positioning of a pair ofgearshift actuators displaced in response to pivotal displacements of agearshift selector component.

Another object is the provision of an improved gearshift mechanism ofthe foregoing character wherein transmission gear selection is achievedthrough the manipulation of a gearshift selector component supported forpivotal movement about a pair of orthogonal axes and provided with a pinparallel to one of the axes and operable to translate pivotal movementof the selector component about the other axis into reciprocabledisplacement of a corresponding gearshift actuator.

Still another object is the provision of an improved gearshift mechanismof the foregoing character in which the gear selector component ispivotally supported by means of a ball and socket arrangement and inwhich the pin is coaxial with the one axis and operable to pivot abellcrank lever to achieve reciprocable displacement of thecorresponding gearshift actuator.

Another object is the provision of an improved gearshift mechanism inwhich pivotal displacement of the gearshift selector component laterallyabout one of a pair of orthogonal axes and then longitudinally about theother axis results in linear displacement of a gearshift actuatorsubstantially without lateral displacement of the actuator from itslinear disposition with respect to the direction of reciprocationthereof.

Yet another object is the provision of an improved gearshift mechanismof the foregoing character wherein a gearshift actuator is interengagedwith the gearshift selector through a link arrangement which enablespivotal movement of the gearshift selector laterally of the supportwhile maintaining the gearshift actuator against lateral displacementrelative to the support.

Yet a further object is the provision of an improved gearshift mechanismof the foregoing character comprised of a minimum number of componentparts which are structured and structurally interrelated with oneanother in a manner which promotes economy in parts, production andassembly, and a compact, lightweight and efficiently operable gearshiftmechanism.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing objects, and others, will in part be obvious and in partpointed out more fully hereinafter in conjunction with the writtendescription of preferred embodiments of the invention illustrated in theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a gearshifting mechanism inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the gearshifting mechanism;

FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of the mechanism looking in thedirection from left to right in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional elevation view of the mechanism taken along line4--4 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a sectional elevation view of the mechanism taken along line5--5 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a plan view, partially in section, taken along line 6--6 inFIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the gearshift lever and the componentparts of the ball and socket joint therefor;

FIG. 8 a sectional elevation view of a portion of the gearshiftingmechanism modified to provide a reverse lockout assembly;

FIG. 9 is a side elevation view, partially in section, of anotherembodiment of a gearshifting mechanism in accordance with the presentinvention;

FIG. 10 is a sectional elevation view taken along line 10--10 in FIG. 9;and,

FIG. 11 a sectional elevation view taken along line 11--11 in FIG. 9.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now in greater detail to the drawings wherein the showings arefor the purpose of illustrating preferred embodiments of the inventiononly and not for the purpose of limiting the invention, a gearshiftingmechanism according to the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1-7 asincluding a support 10, a gearshift selector mechanism 12 and a pair ofgearshift actuators 14 and 16, such as cables. Support structure 10 isof sheet metal construction and is comprised of a bottom member 18, atop member 20 and a side member 22. Bottom member 18 has front and rearends 18a and 18b, respectively, and an arcuate intermediate portion 18c.Top member 20 is of generally inverted U-shape between front and rearends 20a and 20b thereof, which ends respectively overlie ends 18a and18b of bottom member 18 and are secured thereto such as by welding.Intermediate portion 20c of top member 20 is spaced above and generallyoverlies intermediate portion 18c of the bottom member. Side member 22of the support is of generally inverted U-shape and comprises a bridgingportion 22a underlying intermediate portion 20c of top member 20, anddownwardly extending legs 22b and 22c along laterally opposite sides ofbridge portion 22a and having arcuate lower ends secured to intermediateportion 18c of bottom member 18 such as by welding. The longitudinallyopposite ends of the support as defined by the front and rear ends ofthe bottom and top members thereof are provided with a plurality ofopenings 24 which facilitate mounting of the gearshift mechanism on avehicle. Top member 20 includes an upstanding wall portion adjacent thefront end 20a thereof provided with openings 26 and 28 respectivelyreceiving cables 14 and 16 which are supported in the openings bycorresponding cable guide components 27 and 29.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, gearshift selectormechanism 12 includes a gearshift lever 30 which can be solid or tubularin cross-section and which is mounted on the upper end of support 10 forpivotal movement about a first axis 32 extending laterally of thesupport and a second axis 34 extending longitudinally of the support andwhich is perpendicular to and intersects axis 32. A ball member 36 isprovided with an opening 38 through which gearshift lever 30 extends,and the ball and lever are staked together by means of a pin 40extending laterally therethrough and having a ball shaped outer end 42laterally adjacent leg 22c of side member 22 for the purpose set forthhereinafter. Ball 36 is received in an annular ball cage member 44 whichprovides a socket supporting the ball and thus lever 30 for pivotaldisplacement about axes 32 and 34. Ball cage 44 is preferably producedfrom a suitable plastic material such as Delrin and as best seen in FIG.7, has upper and lower ends 44a and 44b, respectively, and a peripherydefined by axially extending legs 46 circumferentially separated byaxially extending slots 48. Circumferentially adjacent ones of the legs46 are alternately connected together at the opposite ends of the cage,whereby slots 48 are closed at one end and have opposite ends whichalternately open through the opposite ends of the cage. The innersurfaces of legs 46 are arcuately contoured for mating engagement withthe outer surface of ball 36, and the cage is provided with an axiallyextending slot 50 which is circumferentially wider than slots 48 and isprovided to accommodate pin 40 and to permit pivotal movement of ball 36and pin 40 about axis 34.

When ball 36 is received in cage 44, the latter assembly is adapted tobe mounted on support 10 by means of a ball and socket housing member 52which preferably is of a suitable plastic material such as Delrin.Housing member 52 is provided with a recess 54 in the underside thereofto accommodate cage 44, and intermediate portion 20c of top member 20 ofthe support and bridging portion 22a of the side member of the latterare provided with an opening 56 therethrough receiving the lower portion30a of lever 30. The upper or inner end of recess 54 in housing member52 is provided with an opening 58 to accommodate the upper end of lever30, and the housing member is provided with a slot 60 in one sidethereof to receive pin 40 and to accommodate displacement of pin 40 inresponse to pivotal movement of lever 30 about axis 34. When ball 36 andcage 44 are assembled and introduced into recess 54 of housing member52, the latter is secured to portions 20c and 22a of the supportstructure means of a plurality of fasteners 62 such as rivets extendingthrough openings 64 in the housing member and corresponding openings insupport portions 20c and 22a.

Gear selector mechanism 12 further includes a bellcrank lever 66pivotally mounted on housing 52 by means of a pin 68 which is spacedfrom and parallel to axis 32. Pin 68 extends laterally through anopening 70 in the bellcrank and openings 72 on laterally opposite sidesof housing 52. Bellcrank 66 has a first leg 74 extending generallyhorizontally from pin 68 and provided on its outer end with a bushing 76receiving ball shaped end 42 of pin 40. A second leg 78 of the bellcrankextends downwardly from pin 68 and has a ball pin 80 staked to the lowerend thereof and to which cable 14 is attached by means of a socketmember 82.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the gear selectormechanism 12 further includes a gearshift lever extension member or link84 of sheet metal construction having upper and lower ends respectivelyinterengaged with gearshift lever 30 and the bottom of support 10 tocontrol displacements of cable 16 in response to pivotal displacementsof lever 30 about axes 32 and 34. More particularly, upper end 84a oflink 84 is pivotally interconnected with lower end 30a of gearshiftlever 30 by means of a pin 86 which provides a pivot axis between thegearshift lever and extension member extending longitudinally of thesupport structure and parallel to axis 34. Lower end 84b of link 84 isprovided with a ball element 88 staked thereto by means of a pin 90, andarcuate intermediate portion 18c of bottom member 18 of the support isprovided with a longitudinally extending guide slot 92 receiving ball 88for the purpose set forth hereinafter. Link member 84 is furtherprovided with a laterally projecting ball pin 94 staked thereto and towhich cable 16 is attached by means of a socket member 96. Accordingly,it will be appreciated that link member 84 and ball pin 94 thereonconnect cable 16 to the gearshift lever and that ball pin 94 provides apoint of connection for the cable which is spaced below axis 32.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing description of the componentparts of the gearshift mechanism that pivotal displacement of gearshiftlever 30 in opposite directions about first axis 32 results inlongitudinal reciprocating displacement of cable 16 relative to support10. In this respect, link pin 86 causes link member 84 to pivot withgearshift lever 30 about axis 32. It will likewise be appreciated thatpivotal displacement of gearshift lever 30 in opposite directions aboutsecond axis 34 results in pivotal displacement of pin 40 about thelatter axis, whereby outer end 42 of the pin is displaced vertically toimpart pivotal movement of bellcrank 66 about pin 68. Thus, leg 78 ofthe bellcrank is displaced longitudinally to reciprocate cable 14relative to the support.

In connection with pivotal displacement of gearshift lever 30 aboutfirst axis 32, ball 88 on the lower end of link member 84 slideslongitudinally in guide slot 92 and prevents lateral displacement of thelink member about pin 86 during such displacement about axis 32. Thus,reciprocating displacement of cable 16 is along a linear path relativeto the support. Importantly, link member 84, the pivotal connectionthereof to the gearshift lever, and the sliding engagement thereofrelative to the bottom of the support provides for pivotal displacementof gearshift lever 30 in opposite directions about second axis 34 to beachieved with minimal lateral displacement of cable 16 relative toopening 28 in the support. More particularly, as will be bestappreciated from FIG. 4, link member 84 functions similar to a togglelink between the support and gearshift lever 30, whereby ball pin 94which provides the point of connection for cable 16 is maintainedsubstantially against lateral displacement in response to pivotaldisplacement of gearshift lever 30 about axis 34. In this respect, forexample, pivotal displacement of gearshift lever 30 clockwise about axis34 in FIG. 4 results in counterclockwise pivotal displacement of linkmember 84 relative to ball 88 at the lower end thereof. It will beappreciated that this results in minimal displacement of ball pin 94 andthus cable 16 relative to the support structure. In fact, displacementof lever 30 in opposite directions about axis 34 results in a totalangular displacement of cable 16 relative to opening 28 of less than 2°.In comparison, a rigid extension of lower end 30a of the gearshift leverto a location close to the bottom member of the support and theconnection of cable 16 to the gearshift lever at that point would resultin lateral displacement of cable 16 relative to opening 28 in thesupport of more than 15° in response to pivotal displacement ofgearshift lever 30 in opposite directions about axis 34. Such lateraldisplacement of the cable from a position aligned with opening 28 in thesupport structure through which the cable extends results in bending ofthe cable as it passes through the opening, whereby the ensuing pivotaldisplacement of gearshift lever 30 about axis 32 requires the cable toprogressively bend as it moves longitudinally through the opening. Thisinduces wear on the cable and guide component therefor and,additionally, requires more force and thus a difference in "feel" duringthe various gearshifting operations. These problems are advantageouslyavoided through the use of link 84 and, additionally, the latter enablesreducing the width of the support heretofore required to accommodatelateral displacement of the cable.

It will be appreciated in connection with gearshifting mechanisms of thecharacter to which the present invention relates that the pair ofactuator members or cables are reciprocated to achieve a shifting ofgears in a vehicle transmission and that each available gear selectionrequires sequential displacement of gearshift lever 30 about axes 32 and34. It is not believed necessary for an understanding of the presentinvention to describe each of the sequences of pivotal displacement ofgearshift lever 30 to achieve the available gear ratios. However, forexample, presuming the component parts as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 to bein the neutral gear position, and without reference to shifting into aparticular selectable gear ratio, gearshift lever 30 is first shifted inone direction or the other about axis 34 for pin 40 to pivot bellcrank66 and thus reciprocate cable 14, and gearshift lever 30 is then pivotedin one direction or the other about axis 32 to reciprocate cable 16attached to the lower end of link member 84.

Manual gearshifting mechanisms of the character to which the presentinvention is directed provide four or five forward gears and a reversegear and, often, it is desired to provide the gearshift mechanism with alock-out arrangement to preclude accidental or unintended displacementof the gearshift lever into the reverse gear position. FIG. 8illustrates a modification of the gearshift lever and ball and sockethousing of the embodiment described hereinabove which provides thelatter with a reverse lock-out arrangement. More particularly in thisrespect, gearshift lever 30 is tubular in this instance and supports alock-out member 100 which is in the form of a collar surrounding andreciprocable along lever 30. Reciprocation of lock-out member 100 isachieved by providing the upper end of lever 30 with a reciprocable pullring 102 connected to an actuating rod 104 which extends downwardlythrough lever 30. Collar 100 is staked to the lower end of rod 104 bymeans of a pin 106 which extends laterally through an axially extendingslot 108 in lever 30. A gearshift knob 110 is attached to the upper endof gearshift lever 30, and pull ring 102 and rod 104 are reciprocablerelative to knob 110 and lever 30 to reciprocate collar 100 relative tothe lever. A coil spring 112 between knob 110 and pull ring 102 biasesthe latter and thus collar 100 downwardly to the solid line position ofthe parts shown in FIG. 8.

One side of the top of ball and socket housing member 52 is providedwith a stop shoulder 114 and, presuming that the reverse gear positionof gearshift lever 30 requires clockwise displacement of the lever tothe broken line position shown in FIG. 8, it will be appreciated thatshoulder 114 is positioned to engage lock-out member 100 when the latteris in its lower position relative to lever 30. It will likewise beappreciated that upward displacement of pull ring 102 pulls stop member100 upwardly along lever 30 a distance sufficient for member 100 toclear shoulder 114, whereby lever 30 can be further pivoted clockwise inFIG. 8 and either into or out of the plane of FIG. 8 to the reverse gearposition thereof. Upon displacement of gearshift lever 30counterclockwise from the broken line position, spring 112 biaseslock-out member 100 downwardly when the latter clears the upper edge ofshoulder 114, thus to prevent accidental or unintentional return of thelever to the reverse gear position.

FIGS. 9-11 illustrate a modification of the gearshift lever extensionlink arrangement by which cable 16 is maintained against lateraldisplacement in response to pivotal movement of gearshift lever 30 aboutaxis 34. Like numerals are used in FIGS. 9-11 to designate componentparts which correspond basically to the component parts of the mechanismdescribed hereinabove in connection with FIGS. 1-7. In the embodimentillustrated in FIGS. 9-11, support structure 10 is modified for bottommember 18 to have a substantially planar bottom wall portion 112 and fortop member 20 to have a first downwardly extending front wall portion114 and a second, upwardly extending front wall portion 116 spacedforwardly of wall portion 114. Wall portion 116 is provided withopenings 118 and 120 receiving cable guide components 122 and 124 forcables 14 and 16, respectively. Wall portion 114 includes an opening 126through which cable 14 extends, and is further provided with a slot 128receiving and supporting a U-shaped grommet 130. Cable guide component124 for cable 16 extends rearwardly from wall portion 116 and throughgrommet 130 between the upwardly extending legs thereof. The cable guidecomponent has a sliding fit with the legs of grommet 130, whereby theguide component is displaceable upwardly and downwardly relative to thegrommet but is precluded by engagement with the grommet legs fromlateral displacement relative thereto. Accordingly, as will beappreciated from the solid line and broken line positions shown in FIG.9, guide component 124, is in effect pivotal vertically relative to theconnection thereof with wall portion 116.

With further regard to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 9-11,gearshift extension link member 84 has its upper end pivotally connectedto gearshift lever 30 by means of pin 86 as previously described, and ismodified so as to eliminate the sliding interengagement between thelower end thereof and the bottom wall of the support structure. Moreparticularly in this respect, web portion 132 of link member 84 extendsdownwardly below flanges 134 of the link member and thence rearwardly toprovide a finger 136. A ball pin 138 is staked to finger 136 andreceives socket member 96 of cable 16. While finger 136 extendsrearwardly in the embodiment illustrated, such disposition is toaccommodate the necessary displacement of cable 16 relative to wallportion 114 of the support structure, whereby it will be appreciatedthat, with other support structures or required cable displacements,finger 136 could be directly below or forwardly of the axis of gearshiftlever 30.

It will be appreciated in connection with standard gearshiftingmovements of gearshift lever 30 that pivotal displacements of lever 30about axis 34 take place with the gearshift lever in the verticaldisposition shown in FIG. 9. In the present embodiment, the pivotalconnection provided by link pin 86 together with the stiffness of cable16 and the support thereof by guide component 124 as described aboveprovides for pivotal displacements of gearshift lever 30 about axis 34to be achieved without lateral displacement of the end of cable 16connected to ball pin 138. More particularly in this respect, it will beappreciated that such stiffness of cable 16 and the support thereof bycable guide component 124 imposes a restraining force at the point ofconnection between cable 16 and link finger 136 as defined by ball pin138 and socket member 96. Accordingly, in response to pivotaldisplacement of gearshift lever 30 about axis 34 and the correspondinglateral displacement of pivot pin 86 and thus the upper end of linkmember 84 from the position shown in FIG. 11, ball pin 138 pivots insocket 96 and socket 96 restrains lateral displacement of the ball pinand thus the lower end of link member 84 during such pivotal movement ofthe gearshift lever. Thus, cable 16 stays in alignment with guidecomponent 124 so that the cable is displaced along a linear path inresponse to the subsequent pivotal displacement of gearshift lever 30clockwise or counterclockwise in FIG. 9 about axis 32. It will befurther appreciated that the sliding interengagement between cable guidecomponent 124 and the legs of grommet 130 accommodates the verticaldisplacements of cable 16 which accompany both the lateral pivotaldisplacement of link member 84 in response to pivotal movement ofgearshift lever 30 about axis 34 and the pivotal displacement of thelink member about axis 32 in response to pivotal displacement ofgearshift lever 30 about the latter axis.

While considerable emphasis has been placed on the preferred embodimentsherein illustrated and described and the structures and structuralinterrelationships between the component parts thereof, it will beappreciated that other embodiments can be made and that many changes canbe made in the preferred embodiments without departing from theprinciples of the present invention. In particular, it will beunderstood that the two arrangements for translating pivotaldisplacements of the gearshift lever into reciprocating displacements ofthe gearshift actuator cables are not interdependent. Accordingly, theuse of a ball and socket joint to support the gearshift lever forpivotal displacement about orthogonal axes and a pin pivotal with thegearshift lever to actuate a ballcrank or similar member and thustranslate such pivotal movement into reciprocating movement of oneactuator cable does not necessitate attachment of the other cable to thegearshift lever through a pivotal link arrangement. Likewise, theadvantages of the latter arrangement with respect to optimizingmaintenance of a cable or other actuator against lateral displacementrelative to the support can be realized in a gearshifting mechanismwherein pivotal support of the gearshifting lever and reciprocation ofthe other actuator is achieved other than by the ball and socket jointand pin arrangement illustrated herein. Further in connection with thelatter, while it is preferred from the standpoint of economy andefficiency in operation to provide for the bellcrank actuating pin to becoaxial with one of the pivot axes of the gearshift lever, it will beappreciated that the pin could, for example, be mounted on the gearshiftlever so as to be parallel to but offset from the pivot axis withoutdeparting from its ability to actuate the bellcrank. Still further, withregard to the pivotal link or gearshift lever extension member, it willbe appreciated that arrangements could be devised to provide for thepivotal connection between the upper end of the link member and thegearshift lever to be coaxial with the longitudinally extending pivotaxis of the gearshift lever, thus to totally eliminate lateraldisplacement of the corresponding actuator cable in response to lateraldisplacement of the gearshift lever about the longitudinal pivot axis.

The foregoing modifications of the preferred embodiments as well asother modifications and other embodiments of the invention will beobvious or suggested to those skilled in the art from the description ofthe preferred embodiments herein. Accordingly, it is to be distinctlyunderstood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpretedmerely as illustrative of the present invention and not as a limitation.

Having thus described the invention, it is claimed:
 1. A manuallyoperable gearshifting mechanism for displacing a pair of transmissiongear actuators comprising support means, a gearshift lever, meansmounting said gearshift lever on said support means for pivotal movementabout first and second orthogonal axes, means to reciprocate one of saidgear actuators in response to pivotal movement of said gearshift leverabout said first axis, pin means on said gearshift lever parallel tosaid first axis, and means actuated by said pin means to reciprocate theother of said gear actuators in response to pivotal movement of saidgearshift lever a given angular distance about said second axis, saidmeans to reciprocate said one gear actuator including means responsiveto said pivotal movement of said gearshift lever said given angulardistance about said second axis to restrain displacement of said onegear actuator to an angular distance less than said given angulardistance, said displacement of said one gear actuator being laterally ofthe direction of reciprocating movement thereof.
 2. A gearshiftingmechanism according to claim 1, wherein said means responsive to pivotalmovement of said gearshift lever includes a link having a first endconnected to said gearshift lever for pivotal movement about an axisparallel to said second axis, and a second end supported for slidingdisplacement relative to said support means in the direction ofreciprocating movement of said one gear actuator, said one gear actuatorbeing connected to said link between said ends thereof.
 3. Agearshifting mechanism according to claim 2, wherein said support meansincludes guide means extending in said direction of reciprocatingmovement of said one gear actuator, and said second end of said linkincludes follower means slidably engaging said guide means.
 4. Agearshifting mechanism according to claim 3, and selectively operablemeans to releaseably limit pivotal displacement of said gearshift leverin one direction about said second axis.
 5. A gearshifting mechanismaccording to claim 1, wherein said means mounting said gearshift leveron said support means includes ball means on said gearshift lever andsocket means on said support means.
 6. A gearshifting mechanismaccording to claim 5, wherein said pin means extends from said ballmeans coaxial with said first axis.
 7. A gearshifting mechanismaccording to claim 6, wherein said support means includes laterallyopposite sides and said means actuated by said pin means includes secondlever means pivotally mounted on said support means adjacent one of saidsides.
 8. A gearshifting mechanism according to claim 7, and selectivelyoperable means to releaseably limit pivotal displacement of saidgearshift lever in one direction about said second axis.
 9. Agearshifting mechanism according to claim 7, wherein said second levermeans is mounted on said support means for pivotal movement about alever axis extending in the direction between said sides, said secondlever means including a first leg engaging said pin means at a locationspaced from said lever axis and a second leg connected to said othergear actuator at a location spaced from said lever axis and said pinmeans.
 10. A gearshifting mechanism according to claim 7, wherein saidmeans responsive to pivotal movement of said gearshift lever includes alink having a first end connected to said gearshift lever for pivotalmovement about an axis parallel to said second axis, and a second endsupported for sliding displacement relative to said support means in thedirection of reciprocating movement of said one gear actuator, said onegear actuator being connected to said link between said ends thereof.11. A gearshifting mechanism according to claim 10, wherein said supportmeans includes guide means extending in said direction of reciprocatingmovement of said one gear actuator, and said second end of said linkincludes follower means slidably engaging said guide means.
 12. Agearshifting mechanism according to claim 11, wherein said second levermeans is mounted on said support means for pivotal movement about alever axis extending in the direction between said sides, said secondlever means including a first leg engaging with said pin means at alocation spaced from said lever axis and a second leg connected to saidother gear actuator at a location spaced from said lever axis and saidpin means.
 13. A gearshifting mechanism according to claim 12, andselectively operable means to releaseably limit pivotal displacement ofsaid gearshift lever in one direction about said second axis.
 14. Agearshifting mechanism according to claim 7, wherein said meansresponsive to pivotal movement of said gearshift lever includes a linkhaving a first end connected to said gearshift lever for pivotalmovement about a link axis parallel to said second axis, and a secondend spaced from said link axis, said one gear actuator being connectedto said second end of said link.
 15. A gearshifting mechanism accordingto claim 14, wherein said support means includes longitudinally oppositeends, guide means for said one gear actuator on one of said oppositeends of said suppoort means and extending in said direction ofreciprocating movement of said one gear actuator, and said one end ofsaid support means supporting said guide means against displacement inthe direction between said laterally opposite sides.
 16. A gearshiftingmechanism according to claim 1, wherein said means responsive to pivotalmovement of said gearshift lever includes a link having a first endconnected to said gearshift lever for pivotal movement about a link axisparallel to said second axis, and a second end spaced from said linkaxis, said one gear actuator being connected to said second end of saidlink.
 17. A gearshifting mechanism according to claim 16, wherein saidsuport means includes longitudinally opposite ends, guide means for saidone gear actuator on one of said opposite ends of said support means andextending in said direction of reciprocating movement of said one gearactuator, and said one end of said support means supporting said guidemeans against displacement in the direction between said laterallyopposite sides.
 18. A manually operable gearshifting mechanism fordisplacing a pair of transmission gear actuators comprising supportmeans having longitudinally opposite ends, a gearshift lever mounted onsaid support means for pivotal movement about first and second axesrespectively extending laterally and longitudinally of said supportmeans, means connecting one of said pair of gear actuators to said leverat a point of connection spaced from said first axis for pivotalmovement of said gearshift lever about said first axis to reciprocatesaid one gear actuator longitudinally of said support means, means totranslate pivotal movement of said gearshift lever a given angulardistance about said second axis to longitudinal reciprocation of theother of said pair of gear actuators, and said means connecting said oneactuator to said gearshift lever being operable in response to pivotalmovement of said gearshift lever said given angular distance about saidsecond axis to restrain displacement of said point of connection to anangular distance less than said given angular distance, saiddisplacement of said point of connection being laterally of thedirection of reciprocation of said one actuator.
 19. A gearshiftingmechanism according to claim 18, wherein said means connecting said onegear actuator to said gearshift lever includes a link pivotallyinterconnected with said gearshift lever means.
 20. A gearshiftingmechanism according to claim 19, wherein said link is interconnectedwith said gearshift lever and said support means for pivotaldisplacement relative thereto laterally of said support means.
 21. Agearshifting mechanism according to claim 20, wherein said linkinterengages with said support means for longitudinal slidingdisplacement relative thereto.
 22. A gearshifting mechanism according toclaim 21, wherein said one gear actuator is connected to said linkbetween said gearshift lever and said support means.
 23. A gearshiftingmechanism according to claim 19, wherein said suport means has upper andlower ends and said gearshift lever is mounted on said support means forsaid first and second axes to be spaced above said lower end, said linkhas first and second ends, said first end being interconnected with saidgear shift lever for pivotal displacement of said link laterallyrelative to said lever and said second end being adjacent said lower endof said support means, and said one gear actuator being connected tosaid second end of said link.
 24. A gearshifting mechanism according toclaim 23, wherein said first end of said link is pivotally connected tosaid lever at an axis parallel to said second axis.
 25. A gearshiftingmechanism according to claim 24, wherein said support means haslongitudinally opposite ends and laterally opposite sides, and guidemeans for said one gear actuator on one of said longtitudinally oppositeends of said support means and extending longitudinally of said supportmeans, said suport means supporting said guide means for displacement inthe direction between said upper and lower ends and against displacementin the direction between said opposite sides.
 26. A gearshiftingmechanism according to claim 25, wherein said one of said opposite endsof said suport means includes longitudinally spaced apart wall means,said guide means extending between said wall means and having first andsecond end portions, said second end portion of said guide means beingclosest to said second end of said link, said first end portion beingpivotally supported by one of said wall means, and said second endportion being slidably supported by grommet means on the other of saidwall means.
 27. A gearshifting mechanism according to claim 26, whereinsaid axis between said first end of said link and said lever is spacedbelow said second axis.